Written by FRANK PEEBLES
Citizen staff
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Wednesday, 19 November 2008 |
Tristan Rynsewyn, left, Julia Schlieman and Joe Bergey are working to expand their comedy group. (Citizen staff photo)
Tristan Rynsewyn won the Yuk Yuk's Comedy Club showcase at a local joke-off held recently at the Kinsmen Club with headliner Paul Myrehaug. The winner of the local event got to open for Myrehaug in Vancouver.
Not only did Rynsewyn win, but it was a win for the other two members of his stand-up comedy group. After all the points were counted up, his mates Joe Bergey and Julia Schlieman tied for second place, only one point behind.
The three of them consider this proof of their tight talent cluster. They now want to expand the group again. Their last expansion brought Schlieman into the picture after the two founding members felt lonely and overwhelmed by the burdens of comedy. Now they want to distribute the funny even further.
"Dan Rogers is a member of our group. Actually, honorary member. He has no idea," said Rynsewyn.
The addition of Schlieman forced them to change the group's name. Bergey and Rynsewyn had been calling themselves the Princes of Comedy as an homage to their city, but introductions got awkward when someone with obvious estrogen fell under that moniker as well. Since then they have been calling themselves the Princeisasesses of Comedy but it's a mouthful.
"Maybe I will quit and be the Group of Julia and they will crumble under their own weight before they come crawling back," said Schlieman.
"We're still working on the name," said Bergey, hoping to leave it at that for now, but the three of them clearly have a lot of pleasant contention still ahead before they print any posters and T-shirts.
The group is reaching out to another comedy group for possible members, with the greatest of respect. Improv Ad Nauseum is a long-standing group co-founded by Rynsewyn's father, local thespian Bas Rynsewyn. It was there, doing that totally different form of comedy, that Bergey and the junior Rynsewyn first met.
"We will be co-operating as much as we can with Improve Ad Nauseum," said Bergey, formerly of Edmonton. "I started entertaining people in Prince George about a year ago with them. I'd say Tristan and I were key players there, we loved what we learned through that, it teaches you a lot of stage presence, audience skills, how to think on your feet, but the stand-up world really is much different than the world of improvisation. We want to work with them more, to keep those skills sharp, and it lets us find fresh people who might like to try out this other kind of comedy, too."
In the new year the Princeisasesses of Comedy intend to start doing regular comedy events, but they hope other people will step forward in the meantime and ask for an audition.
"We're looking for high school students, retirees with time on their hands, alien life forms, anyone who thinks they might be able to make people laugh," Rynsewyn said.
The group is also focused on the corporate events they have been hired to perform at over the Christmas season, and they urge anyone having a group Christmas party to call them up for some entertainment.
"Of course they can audition us first," said Rynsewyn, "We want them to know what we're all about and we want to also know what they're all about so we can tailor the comedy their way."
A showcase at Yuk Yuk's might help sharpen the presentation even more. Anyone who wants to find out, either to join up or to make a booking can call 250-552-3507 or 250-640-7043.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 19 November 2008 )
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